Electronic Deception
by Dixie Dewdrop
Summary: Does trying to outwit Leroy Jethro Gibbs actually ever worK? According to Abby and Tony, the possibility certainly exists. This is part of my Here and Now series.
1. Via Email

Via Email

Naval Criminal Investigative Service Senior Field Agent Tony Dinozzo had just sat back down at his desk at NCIS when an email notice popped onto his computer screen.

Sighing, he settled himself against the cushions and stretched his long legs out before him before actually moving.

He propped his arms against the sides of the computer and momentarily rested his forehead against the cool top.

The team had spent the past two weeks tracking a hired assassin who had gunned down an active duty General as part of a terrorist plot. Finally that morning team NCIS had stormed the criminal's hideout, taken him into custody, and confiscated reams of evidence showcasing his involvement in the General's murder, and in other terroristic acts in the past year.

His boss, Jethro Gibbs, teammate, Tim McGee, and he reveled in the victory, but it had come at a hard cost. Three exhausted men returned to headquarters. While Gibbs headed upstairs to consult with NCIS Director Leon Vance, McGee hauled their bounty of evidence down to the lab of their forensic scientist, Abby Scuito, while Tony Dinozzo proceeded to the bullpen to begin completing the documentation of the takedown.

Recalling the adrenalin which had filled him as McGee slapped handcuffs onto the criminal, Tony grinned. Now that had been a spectacular takedown!

Turning his attention to the computer at last, he activated his email account and waited patiently as a roster of new mail filled his screen. Squinting, he saw that within the past couple of minutes mail had made its way to him from Abby's lab and he shook his head. "That girl works some kind of fast. Timmy just took her our evidence."

Studying the message, however, he realized it had nothing to do with work, or the conclusion of an investigation, but dealt with their home situation, instead.

"_Tony, I need you to cover for me tonight with Gibbs. Some friends and I plan to hit this nightclub down by the Capitol, so be ready to back me up."_

Scowling, Tony hit the reply button and began to type furiously.

"_Absolutely not- the last time you dragged me into one of your party- fraud- against-the-Boss-schemes was the last time."_

He nearly jammed his forefinger stabbing the send button with excessive force.

McGee appeared from around the corner, his face screwed into an annoyed expression. He plopped into his own desk chair dramatically and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.

Tony regarded him. "Ok McPouty, who hurt your feelings?"

"Abby," the other agent responded immediately, "she is glued to her computer in her office and wouldn't even come out to say hi. She just motioned for me to leave the evidence on the table."

Dinozzo grinned. "Little Timmy's day turned ugly, huh?"

Another email signal distracted him, but he continued, "Hey, she probably just had a lot of work on her plate and thought it would require too much to chitchat with you right then."

"Do you really think so?" McGee asked hopefully.

"Of course I do. Now, get to work before Gibbs sees you sitting idly at your desk. That is like waving a red cape in front of a bull, and though you deserve a reprimand, I certainly do not."

With that he turned back to his own slate of duties. However, yet another email notification flashed onto the monitor screen and grabbed his attention.

Both came from Abby.

"_You didn't even think about it, Tony!" _She accused from her lab.

Even from this distance, Tony could feel the righteous indignation pulsating from her.

He regarded his incoming box and confirmed he had another correspondence. That one made him swallow.

"_Did I, or did I not, just cover your butt when you told Gibbs you spent three hours at the movies but you really were at a doctor appointment with Dr. Brad Pitt? You owe me, Tony!"_

Tony peeped over at Tim. His teammate seemed unaware that Tony's whole demeanor had changed in the time it took to read two sentences in an email.

Guiltily he swiveled to look behind him, where his position afforded him a clear view of the mezzanine and MTAC. Two agents stood at the top of the steps, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw neither was his boss.

Drumming his fingers on his desk's smooth top, he tried to think how he could realistically accommodate Abby without sacrificing his own future well being. If Gibbs caught him- or them- blatantly disobeying and deceiving him, he would rip them both out of the frame, chew them up and spit them out, or just plain make them sorrier than they could ever imagine.

Tony simply could not aid and abet her fraud.

Still, she had just pulled out the threatening reminder that they shared an unwritten ode of protection. Having lived with Jethro Gibbs some time now, he and Abby had quickly fallen into a classic sibling relationship, despite the fact that they had no family ties with each other. For all of the times that they had gleefully brought trouble down on each other via their surrogate father, they had also amassed quite a track record of defending and going to bat for each other to avoid penalties from that same man.

They stuck together.

Tony glanced at the screen again to confirm that Abby had really threatened him with his latest Doctor Pitt visit. Should Gibbs discover that Tony's health had deteriorated, Gibbs would make him regret both keeping his health decline a secret and not taking care of himself.

Tony scowled at the screen, trying to weigh his options and irritated that Abby had managed to checkmate him.

Furthermore, he could recall more than one occasion when lying to his Boss had unraveled in a dramatic fashion and landed him in hot water. Arlington came to mind, and a party Abby insisted she had to attend a couple of years before. He had joined in the deception, and when she was caught, he was caught along with her.

Tony laced his fingers behind his head and focused on a spot on the ceiling. The nightclub Abby had chosen today had been explicitly forbidden several days earlier by Gibbs, who did not want her anywhere near the nightclub's seedy neighborhood.

Gibbs had no problem- ever- with doling out unpleasant consequences or yanking in the reins on either Tony or Abby.

Tony massaged his temples and reminded himself that in the world of Gibbs, Gibbs considered the secret bearer just as guilty as the actual criminal.

Hearing familiar voices drift towards him, the young agent pivoted in his seat to find his boss and Ducky, the NCIS medical examiner, striding towards the bullpen. Quickly minimizing Abby's plea, Tony filled the monitor with his half-completed report and greeted the men cheerfully.

Suspecting nothing, Jethro settled into his seat at his own desk, and Ducky took his leave a couple of minutes later.

Safe at last, Tony's fingers moved across the keyboard, responding to the last indictment.

"_Ok, Abby, against my better judgment I will fall in with your deceptive and devious maneuvers. Let me remind you, though, that blackmailing a federal officer can bring jail time."_

Engaging the send button, he watched his statement dissolve into cyberspace.

Glancing guiltily around the bullpen, Jethro's speculative gaze focused upon him. Tony felt his stomach lurch. Somehow Gibbs always divined when Tony or Abby plotted sneaky behavior, from some sixth sense he possessed or suspicion he honed over the years when regarding them.

Flashing his most charming smile, the senior field agent turned deliberately to regard Tim before pretending to examine his computer screen with an intense interest. When he hazarded a peep a minute later, Gibbs had evidently lost interest in his protégé and focused on a thick file on his desk, instead.

"_So just agree with everything I say at supper and then all will be well," _came Abby's next order. Tony decided not to reply to the directive. He would just wing it later when the time arose, playing along extemporaneously. He considered himself pretty competent in off the cuff communications.

The chance appeared to prove his loyalty to Abby as their evening meal finished. Jumping up from her seat, Abby grabbed her dishes and hurriedly rinsed and loaded them into the dishwasher. Twirling to bestow a smile upon the men, she announced with a giggle, "Ok, Tony, you know you have kitchen duty tonight, and I have to hurry because Sister Rosita needs my help."

Before either could respond she bounced over to Gibbs and threw her arms around him, nearly upsetting his coffee cup. "Leave the porch light on for me, please. I might be a bit late."

With that she hurried towards the front door, but before she could grab her pocketbook Jethro called out, "This is the first I have heard of a visit to the Sister tonight, Abby."

Tony hastily intervened, "You were with the Director when Sister Rosita contacted Abby and asked for some help this evening, Boss."

Jethro appeared to accept that, so Tony ordered, "Get a move on, then, Baby Girl, and tell Sister Rosita hello for us."

Nodding conspiratorially, she winked at Tony and departed, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Jethro worked his way down the steep wooden steps to the basement to devote his time to his boatbuilding while Tony tackled the kitchen cleanup.

Later, Tony relaxed in the living room, stretched out on the sofa and contentedly watching a rerun of _Magnum, P.I._ So intent was he on the action of the show that when Jethro suddenly appeared in the doorway, it startled him.

He jumped, then regarded his boss sheepishly.

Gibbs scowled at his reaction, spoke into his cell, nodded, and raised his eyebrows at Tony. "Does Abby have her phone on her?"

Tony felt a twinge of discomfort at the question but answered calmly, "More than likely, Boss-"

Frowning, Gibbs relayed the reply into the receiver, "Tony thinks she has her cell. She might have just powered it off, Sister."


	2. Via Text

Via Text

Hearing the name of the caller on the other end, Tony sat up and urgently strained to listen. His heart began to beat audibly.

"Right," Jethro confirmed, "I understand." He regarded Tony on the couch, who watched his boss warily instead of focusing once again upon the television. Gibbs narrowed his gaze, and the events from supper drifted back into his focus. Not taking his eyes off of Tony, he attempted to clarify the situation. "Sister, it puzzles me that after asking for Abby's attention tonight, and Abby rushing out after supper to see you, that she has not gone straight to you. Did you….."

Tony groaned softly.

Evidently Sister Rosita interrupted with a denial that she had communicated with Abby that day.

Within a minute or two more of the enlightening conversation, Jethro disconnected the call and narrowed his gaze onto his protégé.

Having eavesdropped, Tony hazarded no erroneous guess that their ruse had succeeded. Quickly slipping to his feet he stretched dramatically, yawned, and regarded his boss with a grin. "I believe I am going to make it an early night tonight and hit the rack now. Chasing that guy all over the city today exhausted me. Night, Boss."

Jethro did not let him take a step, but quashed his escape instead. "Halt!" he ordered, watching as Tony froze in place. "Enlighten me as to why Sister Rosita had no idea that she had requested a visit from Abby tonight, yet both you and Abby assured me she did."

Licking his lips, Tony's imagination raced with a handful of possible defenses.

His boss scrutinized him with that comprehension that evolves from years of reading and interpreting someone close.

Inspecting the expression on his agent's face while Tony scrambled futilely to create a plausible explanation, Jethro Gibbs narrowed his eyes. All of the signs pointed to Tony's complicity in whatever scheme Abby had enacted, rendering them both guilty.

"Where did she go tonight, Tony?" Gibbs prodded.

Running a hand nervously through his hair, the younger man pretended to ponder the answer. "Boss, wow, I thought she went to the Convent."

"Give me your phone," Jethro commanded in reply, pulling his glasses out of his shirt pocket as he spoke.

Tony's eyes widened. "Why, Boss?"

"Because I said so, and I mean now!" Jethro responded instantly.

Fumbling in a pocket, Tony grasped the cell and held it out for Jethro.

The older man modified his decision. Regarding Tony over the top of his glasses, he directed, "On second thought, start texting."

Confused, Tony stammered, "What do you – who, Boss?"

"Common sense and normal deduction would point you towards Abby as the recipient."

Tony's eyes widened, and Gibbs congratulated himself on putting his agent on edge with the request. He had a better chance of getting to the bottom of things if the younger set stayed baffled with his motive and method. "Start texting to her that she should come home right now."

"Why, Boss?" The agent looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"What do you mean why?" demanded Jethro, snapping impatiently. "Write that something came up at home and she needs to get back here on the double."

Worried green eyes met determined blue ones, and Jethro witnessed the nanosecond when Tony realized he and Abby had lost all hope in pulling off the deception. The co conspirator carefully typed the message under his boss's watchful eye, unable to warn of the danger heading her way when he hit send.

Her reply followed quickly and belligerently, an absolute refusal to heed his instructions. "_Absolutely not!"_

Holding the phone's display screen up for his Boss to see, Tony waited.

Gibbs adjusted his glasses. "All right then, type that I said for her to get back here."

Nodding, Tony complied, cringing at the panic that would elicit. "_Baby Girl Boss said to get home immediately." _

Arching his eyebrows, he confirmed sadly, "Ok, I did it."

"Good," Gibbs grinned and beckoned with his hand, "now, let me see that phone of yours."

Tony passed it to him, "Honestly, Boss, not to be disrespectful, but I think it will be hard for you to see the letters when you type. You might want to keep getting me to do it."

"I have no intention of writing anything," Jethro replied, powering off the cell.

Comprehension dawned and the younger agent threw his head back dramatically and pled, "Boss, please don't take the phone. Tonight really is not my fault this time!"

Pocketing the phone, Jethro assured him, "I do not care what percentage of the fault lies with you, Tony. I do not care. Now, sit back down on that couch and wait for Abby to return."

Accepting the inevitable, Tony threw himself down on the couch, and leaned his head on the sofa's back.

Gibbs watched his protégé's dramatic response before turning and striding purposefully into the kitchen. Working from habit, he prepared a fresh pot of coffee, then stood leaning against the counter to gulp the first cup.

In true Abby fashion, she announced her arrival by racing through the front door, slinging her pocketbook on the foyer table, and hurrying into the living room.

Unnoticed, Gibbs followed behind her as she confronted Tony.

"What did you do, Tony?" she accused. "Why have I been summoned home? Did you rat on me?"

Pigtails swinging, her upset practically took a life of its own when no response readily followed. "Answer me!"

The younger man glanced at his boss, then directed Abby's gaze to look behind her.

Startled to find Gibbs right there, she stammered out a greeting, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "Uhm, hey Gibbs-"

"Pass your phone to me and sit down right there," he ordered, cutting off her introduction and pointing at the cushion beside Tony. Knowing better than to refuse, she retraced her steps to the foyer and pulled her cell out of her purse. Returning, she handed it to him with a frown.

He watched her take her place, smooth her skirt as she sat gingerly on the edge of the cushion and then exchange a worried look with her co-conspirator.

Gibbs regarded them several seconds before he finally spoke. "Let me assure you that I have no intention of standing here and listening to excuses for lying to me tonight. Believe me that my patience has reached its limit with both of you. Now, I want simple no or yes responses, and I want them at once."

Tony looked down at the throw pillow he held in his lap, and traced the design with his thumb.

Abby played with a row of sequins on her tights, first twirling each, then smoothing them so as not to cause a tear.

"Look up at me right this second!" Jethro ordered firmly.

They did, obeying at once.

Jethro raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Does Abby have something on you, Tony?"

Not willing to throw her under the bus with disloyalty, Tony stayed silent.

Glancing at Gibbs, then at Tony, she sighed. "Yes, yes I do."

"So you know about Dr. Pitt?" Jethro probed.

That shocked both of them. Gibbs had known all along that Tony had visited Dr. Pitt!

"Actually, I had planned to address Tony's irresponsibility with him this evening. However, it appears that you two beat me to the punch."

Both acknowledged his words by making eye contact once again with each other.

"So, Tony covered for you, Abby, to go somewhere I would not have allowed. Just where would that be?"

"Nightclub," she whispered miserably. "The one I asked about earlier in the week."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he clarified. "You have lied, you have deceived, and you have shown an absolute disregard for the physical well being of yourselves and of each other. It appears to me that the last time you two tried to conspire on something you failed, then, too, along with the time before that. Personally, I perceive a pattern. How about you? Can you connect the dots?"

"Yes," they responded in unison, their voices laced with misery.

"Good, so we have agreed on something. Now that I have you two together before me, let me caution you that my feelings have not wavered about allowing either of you to walk into hazardous situations. Because you enjoy working behind the scenes- plotting with each other so much, I have decided to increase your exposure. Until I tell you otherwise, you will spend the next several days hanging out right here any time you are not on the clock at NCIS. Further, since you will not require long distance communications to consult with each other for the next several days, I will hang on to your cells. Any questions?"

Neither bothered to ask any. They knew protests, pleas, or defenses would make no difference once Jethro had determined a consequence.

"No, got it, Boss," Tony muttered. "I believe I understand.

Abby replied, her voice and expression reflecting her desolation, "We hear you."

"Make sure you have it straight. If I have to revisit this, you will not be happy," Gibbs warned, his voice still firm and unyielding.

Again, they replied, but this time in unison.

"Ok, then, make sure we do not have confusion about any of this. I have work to do in the basement," he concluded, and turning, he left them unhappily sitting together.

"Great plan," Abby sputtered as Gibbs disappeared from view.

"Electronic deception, indeed," Tony hissed, "no, I can make a better conclusion. This whole ridiculous episode has been one horrible and gigantic missed call."


End file.
